Birthdays and Other Life Milestones

Emilia Kowaleski

Emilia on Porch

Lived under czarist rule until she was smuggled across the border, under the barbed wire – after paying a guard. Came to U.S. at the age of 13. She brought over only one brother (Nikodem) while others (total of 5 brothers and 2 sisters) remained in Poland with mother and father. Had sister, Lucyna Budnik who came to America, but facts unknown.
Fussy about the spelling of her name…with an “E” not an “A”.
Loved to feed her family. Eat, eat.
A saint. Traveled to New York for a Polaski Day parade with friends and hardly said a word all day. They were concerned and it turned out that she had had a small stroke that morning!
In 1926 she went to Poland to visit family for 6 months. Many stories of Pop during her absence. Each other child was responsible for a younger…Helene “let” Eddie get lost, and others.
Story of how she awoke in the night as she dreamed of a knock on the door…next morning, messenger knocked on the door with the telegram that her son, Francis, had been killed in WWII.
Another story of how she cried and cried when she learned of her sister, Monika’s, death in Poland. Came down one morning and told family her sister had come to her in a dream and said, “Stop crying sister, you’re making the buckets too heavy to carry!” and Emilia’s grieving stopped.
Lived under czarist rule until she was smuggled across the border, under the barbed wire – after paying a guard. Came to U.S. at the age of 13. She brought over only one brother (Nikodem) while others (total of 5 brothers and 2 sisters) remained in Poland with mother and father. Had sister, Lucyna Budnik who came to America, but facts unknown.
Fussy about the spelling of her name…with an “E” not an “A”.
Loved to feed her family. Eat, eat.
In 1926 she went to Poland to visit family for 6 months. Many stories of Pop during her absence. Each other child was responsible for a younger…Helene “let” Eddie get lost, and others. Found him at the police station eating an ice cream cone and wearing a police cap!

Another story of how she cried and cried when she learned of her sister, Monika’s, death in Poland. Came down one morning and told family her sister had come to her in a dream and said, “Stop crying sister, you’re making the buckets too heavy to carry!” and Emilia’s grieving stopped.

A saint. Traveled to New York for a Polaski Day parade with friends and hardly said a word all day. They were concerned and it turned out that she had had a small stroke that morning!